In 1978 you played Lt. Robert Yeager in "The Inglourious Bastards," and then made a cameo in Tarantino's 2009 film "Inglourious Basterds" as a tribute to your previous role. Whose idea was it to do a cameo? What was the experience like?

You have the Sun over there in space and the Earth over here in space. OK? For conduction to work the two bodies must be physically touching - the sun and the earth ar…e not in direct contact (there is space between them) so the Sun's heat can not be conducted to Earth. For convection to work you need a fluid or air round the two objects - the sun and the earth are separated by the vacuum of space (no fluid or air) so the Sun's heat can not be convected to the Earth. The third means of transferring heat is by radiation, this travels across space just fine and thus it is the means by which the Sun's energy reaches the Earth (as sunlight). (MORE)

About 50% is absorbed by Earth's surface, about 25% is reflected by clouds, dust, and gases in the atmosphere, about 20% is absorbed by gases and particles in the atmosphe…re and about 5% is reflected by the surface back into the atmosphere. Also some absorbed energy is radiated back into the atmosphere. (MORE)

The Moon's early history is tied to Earth's. Features scientists can study on the Moon yield crucial information about Earth's early years. Lunar impact craters indicate a tum…ultuous past of asteroid and comet impacts, especially in the time not long after their formation.(MORE)

About an hour by train from the densely populated Taipei city is a peaceful getaway. Matt Sampson has the details.About an hour by train from the densely populated Taipei city… is a peaceful getaway. Matt Sampson has the details.(MORE)

Earth is the place that each person calls home. It is home to over six billion people and around 8.7 million different species. While everyone lives on Earth, there are many i…nteresting facts that people do not know about the planet. Earth is unique in our solar system as being the only known planet to support the multitudes of different life. Earth facts can reveal the true nature of the place life calls home.It was long thought that Earth was spherical in shape. After careful studies and measurements by scientists, it is now known that earth is more of an oval. If you look at the diameter from pole to pole, Earth is 7882.4 miles long. If you measure the diameter from the equator line, earth measures 7908.9 miles long. The reason for the difference is how the Earth spins. It spins on its axes, which goes through the poles, making some of its mass move away from the poles and to its outside center.When Earth is compared to the Moon, it has less impact craters caused by space debris. The Moon is documented to have billions of craters, as can be seen by looking at it. The reason behind so few craters on the Earth is that Earth possesses an atmosphere, which creates fiction for anything coming into it. The friction caused by an object moving at hundreds of thousands of miles per second entering the Earth?s atmosphere causes the object to burn up before hitting the ground. The Moon has no atmosphere and cannot stop even the smallest meteor hitting its surface, which is why there are so many craters on the Moon.The atmosphere around the Earth keeps the animals and creatures living upon its surface a great deal as far as the requirements of life goes. It weighs around five trillions tons altogether, which is calculated based on the atmospheric pressure it exudes on the surface. The pressure is around one kilogram per square centimeter. The atmosphere protects its inhabitants from harmful space objects like meteors by burning them up before impact as well as harmful light rays such as X-rays, ultraviolet light, infrared and gamma rays.There are certain areas on the Earth that does not have the same gravitational pull as the rest of the globe. Earth, after all, is not a perfect sphere. There is an area in Canada called Hudson Bay that has a lower gravitational force than other regions of the earth. Scientists believe that 25 to 45 percent of the gravitational flux is due to a giant glacier sheet that was in the area long ago causing the Earth's crust to subside somewhat. The rest of the reason behind the gravitational flux can be explained by down drag due to the magma in the Earth's mantle.The place that all known living creatures live is a fascinating place. The Earth facts discussed in this article can give an idea of the type of place life call home. The most important thing that people of planet Earth can do is to look after Earth so that all future generations can experience the wonders that Earth holds.There are not a full 24 hours in a day. The actual time it takes for one day to pass is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds.(MORE)

Moon Day is celebrated on July 20 every year. July 20 is the date of the first moon landing and the first man on the moon. Ever since 1969, Moon Day is celebrated to mark one …of the biggest achievements of humanity. Celebrations are organized around the science and engineering communities, but anyone can prepare his or her own celebration of Moon Day.Moon Day is largely celebrated by NASA and space officials, marking the first lunar landing. All sorts of events are organized across the country to mark this important event. But everyone can celebrate Moon Day. One great way to do this is to make sure you look at the moon that day, weather permitting, and if the moon phase allows it. Special events can be organized for children, to bring this date into their attention and teach them about its significance to humanity. Moon crafts, moon treats, moon music, and learning science facts about the moon can be a way to enjoy this day.One way to celebrate Moon Day is to make all sorts of moon crafts. An example is to make paper moons, from either craft paper of paper plates. The moon phases can also be made out of paper. Cut crescent moons or full moons from craft paper of different colors, and explain how moon phases occur.A moon can be made out of Styrofoam cut in a circular shape. To get the feeling of a cratered lunar surface, blast the crafted moon with craters by hitting the Styrofoam with the ends of paint brushes. Finally, add a mixture of white paint and flour on the surface of the circle to simulate the lunar surface.Consider moon treats as a new idea to celebrate Moon Day. You can bake cookies and cut them in the shape of full moons or crescent moons. There is moon-related music that you can play, such as the "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven, Frank Sinatra's song "Fly Me to the Moon," and Neil Young's song "Harvest Moon." It is important to also consider learning some facts about the moon on this occasion. Exploring the moon on Google Moon is a great idea to get familiar with our natural satellite.There are many ways to celebrate Moon Day, from making moon crafts, baking moon treats, and learning about Luna. Moon Day marks the first human lunar landing that occurred on July 20, 1969. It is especially important to celebrate Moon Day with children. In this way, children can learn about what happened on July 20, 1969, and understand the importance of this event.Twelve people walked on the moon. They were part of six NASA missions, although there were actually seven missions that were sent to the moon. However, Apollo 13 never made it due to a malfunction of the spacecraft. The story of this moon mission is depicted by the Hollywood movie Apollo 13, a movie that made this particular mission to the moon even more famous than the first mission that landed on Luna, Apollo 11.(MORE)

As the Internet has become a bigger and bigger part of the lives of Americans, more and more myths have begun to spread. One of the most prevalent myths to make the rounds in …recent years has been the so-called "Two Moons Myth." This myth takes a number of different forms, always citing some mixture of credible and fabricated scientific sources. The following article will try to address both the true and untrue aspect of this myth, offering you the facts as they stand in real, credible science.The origins of any Internet myth are hard to track down. Usually these sorts of myths come about in one of two ways. First, these myths might be based on actual science. One story gets popular online, and a myriad of copycats take that story and expand it into something sensational in order to get hits on their website or YouTube channel. The second, more sinister way these myths come about is through hackers creating links to false stories with the same sensational headlines. People click on the link and contract a computer virus. In either case, these stories very rarely come from true believers. There is usually some selfish or nefarious purpose at work behind the scenes.One potential source these myth creators use is ancient texts or drawings. They'll say that the Mayans, Greeks, or Chinese once believed there were two moons or said that at one time there was another object in the sky just as bright. The trick to debunking this sort of false evidence is common sense. Astronomy and astrology were of massive interest in the ancient world, both for religious and seafaring purposes. An object the size and brightness of the moon would be hard to miss. If the ancients had known of a second moon, it would have been hugely significant and still be affecting the way we study astronomy today.One of the most recent forms the dual moons myth has taken has been not that Earth secretly has two moons, but at some point in the future another object will appear to be the same size as the moon. Some article will claim that Mars or Venus will soon pass the closest it ever has to Earth and will appear in the night sky as brightly as the moon. The trouble with this argument is one of scale. No matter where on their individual orbits the planets may be, they are still millions of miles farther away from the Earth than the moon. Mathematically, there is no way they could ever appear in the sky the same way the moon does night after night.Does this mean that no object could ever be so bright in the night sky? It does not. The potential for other celestial bodies to pass close enough to the Earth to appear the same size and brightness as the moon exists, no matter how small. Several comets have been known to pass close enough to the Earth to be large and visible for many months. In human memory, none have yet passed so close to be compared to the moon, but scientists are always on the lookout for potential candidates. The most recent near-pass comet is the upcoming C/2012 s1 comet, which is due to pass by Earth in 2013.Technically, it is possible that the Earth may acquire a second moon in the future. While these sorts of events are rare and would have drastic influences on the gravitation of the planet, capturing a new moon is simply a matter of statistics. In fact, scientists now theorize that the Earth acquires small asteroids on a semi-regular basis, which orbit the Earth for the span of a few weeks or months before being cast back into the solar system. Should an asteroid of sufficient size and trajectory ever enter Earth's orbit, it may stay there as a permanent moon.There are simply far too many factors that disprove the possibility of the Earth having a second moon for this myth to be true. The Earth's unique tilt, the movement of the tides, and even the orbit of the Earth around the Sun are all affected by the presence of the Moon. If the Earth had a second moon, or if another object passed the Earth close enough to appear like the Moon in the sky, then the effects could never go unnoticed or be concealed. Questions of this scale are simply too big to be hidden. You have only to look to the skies to see whether this rumor is true.As stated above, rumors such as the dual moons myth are regularly used by hackers to plant virus software on your computer. Be wary of any fantastic headline that claims the Earth has a second moon. Be sure to look at the URL of the link you are provided with to see whether it comes from a trusted source. If you click on the wrong link, it may cause trouble for you and your computer.(MORE)

During the middle of autumn, the 15th day of the 8th moon, Chinese celebrate the moon in all its brilliance with a Moon Festival, originally honoring the Moon Goddess Chang E.… Ceremony dictates that the emperor offer sacrifices to the moon on this date. During this festival, a distinctive pastry appears on the shelves of bakeries and on the tables of homes: the moon cake. Today, the tradition of moon cakes has expanded to customs unrelated to the festival whereby families give moon cakes to other relatives and businessmen present moon cakes to their clients, increasing the demand for high-end moon cake styles. If moon cakes are a part of your family's customs, you may be wondering how calories and other nutritional factors of moon cakes might fit into a weight-loss effort.Moon cakes are a traditional Chinese pastry, traditionally enjoyed during the Moon Festival but now enjoyed throughout the year. They are baked pastries stuffed with lotus seed paste or red bean, although other ingredients are often added or substituted to add variety to the pastry. Traditional moon cakes are fairly large and dense, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 45 cm thick. Moon cakes are given as gifts during the festival period and some have likened them to fruitcake in that everyone gives them, but since they are so dense and sweet, it is difficult to eat them.There are too many types of moon cakes to list all of them. However, traditional moon cakes are filled with lotus seed paste; sweet bean paste; watermelon, sesame and peanut paste; or jujube paste made from dates. A whole salted duck egg is also added to the filling, signifying the full moon. Nontraditional fillings include fruit, vegetables, jelly, meats of every variety, seafood, tea, coconut, medicinal herbs, and ice cream.The vast majority of moon cakes are unquestionably unhealthy. In fact, modern Chinese give most of the moon cakes they buy away as gifts and do not seem to enjoy eating them. Some claim they are far too sweet and much too dense. The average moon cake contains 7901,200 calories, 512 g of protein, 6090 g of carbohydrates, and 3045 g of fat.The healthiest moon cakes are those stuffed with unsweetened fruit, herbs, vegetables, or tea. The sweetest moon cakes are the least healthy and contain the most calories. Be aware that egg yolks are used in most moon cakes to bind the filling. The moon cakes with the fewest calories are the ones that use the least amount of egg yolks to bind the filling. If moon cakes contain a very sweet filling, plus a lot of egg yolks, it will be very high in calories. Try to find moon cakes that have few, if any, egg yolk in the filling and that use vegetables or herbs as filler instead.More modern Chinese try to mitigate the adverse health effects of moon cakes by opting for the non-traditional fillings. Some of the non-traditional fillings can chop off a good number of calories and still allow you to save face during the Moon Festival.If moon cakes are a part of your heritage's tradition, t is important to know that they are nutritionally unhealthy for you. If you do indulge in moon cakes during the time of the Moon Festival, either choose moon cakes made with healthier fillings, share them with friends and family, or consume very small pieces of a moon cake over time. Spreading out your moon cake over a period of time will ensure that you do not ingest a large number of unwanted calories, but will allow you to take part in a very ancient Chinese tradition.Moon cakes are said to have helped overthrow the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368 AD). According to legend, revolutionaries smuggled messages in by placing them in moon cakes or printing them directly on the pastry's surface.(MORE)

Sunlight reaches the Moon about 8 minutes after it leaves the Sun, virtually the same time it takes to reach Earth. The Moon can be up to 1.25 light-seconds closer or farther …from the Sun. Moonlight (reflected sunlight) takes about that long, 1.2 to 1.3 seconds, to reach the Earth. (MORE)

The earth does not block the sun during *most* full moons because it is not *directly* between the sun and moon. If the earth does block the sun from the moon, then the earth… must be directly between the sun and moon. This will happen at full moon, since the three must be in a line, and you would see the full moon, then the eclipse, then the moon fully illuminated again.(MORE)